Death Sentence Changed

A Dothan teenager, who was sentenced to die for murder, has been ordered to spend his life in prison instead.

James Willis Bonds was just 16 when Norman Manning was shot to death in September of 1999. The 57-year-old businessman was killed during a robbery at his office near downtown Dothan. Judge Ed Jackson followed a jury's recommendation and sentenced Bonds to die.

But last month, the United States Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 vote, held that convicted killers could not be put to death if they were under the age of 18 when the crime was committed.

On Friday, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Judge Jackson to sentence bonds to life without parole. The judge has 28 days to carry out that order.

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